San Marino - Small but Surprising
In the eternal quest to explore all corners of earth, you sometimes have to make your way into the smaller corners, or countries in this case.
In the eternal quest to explore all corners of earth, you sometimes have to make your way into the smaller corners, or countries in this case. San Marino is definitely one of the smallest, at just over 60 sqkm and 33,000 people. In fact, this makes it the oldest extant sovereign state, and also one the wealthiest in terms of per capita GDP.
It was a short road-trip and we had just 36h to explore - on the other hand, its size makes that enough time to explore most of the country’s sights, which are located in the namesake city on Monte Titano (there is a larger community at the foot of the mountain where most people live). On arrival we were greeted with a peculiar cloud rolling in, which was my clue to take a look from above.
It wasn’t quite the weather you’d expect during August in Italy, just 10km from the Adriatic coast. A few minutes later, the city was covered in a layer of fog and clouds, and it became dark, turning the atmosphere into a mix of Christmas and Resident Evil.
Exploring the fortress of Guiata and its two neighboring towers at the cliff of Monte Titano.
Nightly street vibes
Day 2
Politics
San Marino’s political system is a peculiar one. It is the world’s oldest constitutional republic with an elected assembly, which in turn elects not one, but two heads of state every six months from opposing parties, called the Captain’s Regents. This tradition is a nod back to the Roman consul times. At the end of their legislature, every Sammarinese (the Demonym for citizens of the country) has 15 days to submit any complaints about their actions - or lack thereof.
As the clouds opened up, I spent the last sunset photographing the country’s most iconic view, but rest assured there’s more to see in San Marino, such as its Museums of Torture, Dracula, and Curiosities (although I can’t say I’d highly recommend either of them). If you’re looking for the Formula 1 track where the race named after the country was held up until recently, you’ll have to go to Italy though. There is however an Ayrton Senna statue as a tribute one of the world’s best drivers, who tragically died at the 1994 Grand Prix.
Thanks for tagging along - continue here with a nearby architectural curiosity, the medieval towers of Bologna (and a questionable statue).
The Dubai Fog
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time.
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time. Predicting it is a gamble of combining various forecast websites and tools, comparing dew points, humidity and temperature forecasts, and even then you need to hope for a little bit of luck.
On top of that, you need to secure a location to shoot from. While some people live in high rise towers above the 40th floor with great views, the rest of us will struggle to get permits, ask hotels, check with friends, and convince security guards. The unpredictable nature of the fog makes that even harder - sometimes it is so patch that a building 5km left or right will be floating above the clouds while you have a clear view of the ground.
If you do manage to get everything right, the rewards are spectacular. I’ve been able to shoot the fog five or six times this winter, and will certainly never get enough of it. To me, not other city can top the combination of Dubai’s amazing skyline (in fact, there are more than one skylines) with the feeling of floating above the clouds.
Contact me if you’d like to purchase prints of the photos in this post.
